Why Shanghai Tower Failed
Despite standing as one of modern China’s most iconic mega projects, Shanghai Tower has been plagued with challenges. Discover how one of the world’s tallest and most important skyscrapers failed. For more by The B1M subscribe now - ow.ly/GxW7y
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as a citizen of Shanghai, I didn't even know people could live and work on the tower. I always thought it was built for good-looking. The funny thing is that while I'm typing, I can see the tower from my window.
Must be a beautiful view
@@HowDoU24 yeah but even the most beautiful scenery will be boring after watching for too many times. haha
@@alias19 I live in Yangpu district, where is not close to Pudong. At night, it's good-looking.
@@mahiankhan3406 yes, many ppl in China use VPN. is it strange?
@@zhewu9052 Yes because it's illegal, and if a Uyghur uses a VPN, it's considered an act of terrorism.
The thing next to the tower looks like a giant bottle opener.
012vinc Yep they each have their nickname in China
Looks like a potato peeler
You mean the Shanghai World Financiel Center.
you mean the financial centre thingy
They call it that in China
The original world trade centers were hard to fill up with occupancy for similar reasons. I don't know about One World Trade Center, but I grew up with the Twin Towers and visited them a few times as a kid and always heard my uncle talk about how they were losing money because companies were not moving in. This would have been in the 70s and 80s.
Same thing happened in the 1930s with the new "Empty (Empire) State Building." It remained half empty, well into the 40s.
I can say, yes One World Trade Center did have problems with occupancy and still has office space available as we speak.
Becauss nobody gonna pay those unreasonable prices for status for nyc that place is park ave.
I guess it is sort of expected tho right? It’s happened many times
@@jashanestone I would be scared to move in too shit lol
The Empire State Building was completed during the early 1930s, and was mostly empty for several years. At opening there was pretty much only 1 tenant above 7th floor, and for almost the entire decade there wasn't even elevator service past floor 40 other than for the observation deck. The building wasn't profitable until the 1950s. I could see a similar situation for this building.
I think the Great Depression had an effect on that lol
@@danmcclaren5436 yeah, but the depression ended by the time WW2 started when FDR took the brakes off the economy (and killed the failed New Deal) and let the war industries ramp up to supply the allies and the Soviets. The building still took till the 50s to turn it's first profit. Timing is everything when it comes to big projects.
@@joseph1150it was also build in order to create jobs and nationalism reasons. Though know while building it was not going to be profitable.
Ok so it’s been a few years. Is the building profitable or at least filled yet?
kzhead.info/sun/gMywqr55j56ceas/bejne.html
Failed completely economically, but is still a marvel of engineering.
Yeah,but still not worth $2.4 billion dollars
@@LudicrousTorpedo Definitely worth 2.4 billion. Even the Burj isn't profitable, but I'll be damned if it isn't good looking.
David Scholz Till it falls down
@@LudicrousTorpedo which is not helping our Earth to improve just wasting money for show off.. So f off..
It's an ugly poorly designed building. The Curved structure doesn't exactly appeal to renters. It looks like it is bent or leaning. They didn't make the floor space for renters. It looks like a tall smokestack Trbovlje Power Station
skyscrapers are the epitome of "just because you can; doesn't mean you should."
If by skyscrapers you mean skyscrapers full of Chinesium then yes, you're correct! 👌🏻
@@V0YAG3R you might use one of those to stash all your homeless junkies in los thirdworldeles! All that californium air seems to have your brain rotten!
@@jeanxza5395 you fool sky scrapers are important
Skyscrapers and condo towers should be demolished. No city can handle such a population density. Shitholes such as Las Angeles, Toronto, Tokyo, Shanghai being among the worst.
@@felixwankel3989 have you heard of a country called SINGAPORE
I’ve been to Shanghai and this building was stunning from an aesthetic perspective. The fact that it disappears into the clouds on a hazy day also makes it quite beautiful.
I went up to the observation deck and it was an awesome experience.
Yes I went up to the observation deck and into the counterbalance enclosure on a visit organised by its marketing and facility managers. Great building, fast lift ride to the top. TD
@@ComeraghMBA I hope you enjoyed it, I worked on the project for a small while.
@@ambitionsskyyyy Wow that is cool. Were you part of a foreign design or construction team they hired?
@@2011October14 dude he was probably the garbage collector
Yes, it allowed you to escape the smog
It's like my minecraft house: Incredibly huge and majestic on the outside, but too big for anything I own on the inside.
Just add some mods...
I feel this man.
You could build farms, decorative things, even totally pointless rooms.
“So continuing the tour, here is piano room number 56”
Actually here it's too small from inside, double layer of glass and the formations at the upper half result in small floors which are both expensive and not effective at all... ya can just rent a bigger floor for less money somewhere else ma man
The transformation of skyline images from 1987 to 2013 was quite remarkable!
@Hello SteveMarsh, How are you doing?
Agreed; astonishing.
Amazing what they can do with $1BILLION per DAY from the U.S. for the last DECADE via the trade deficit, along with lesser amounts for DECADES prior to that, along with a ready supply of virtual slave-labor.
@@lordofthewoods If that will be okay for them.
Yes but many Chinese citizens are still extremely poor. So hooray for the wealthy Chinese and communist government. But what a shame that the only Chinese people you meet outside of China are fairly wealthy or laborers.
Expensive Landmarks. The old Chinese saying goes with “when things reach the extreme they start to go the opposite direction.”
I sure hope that this saying holds true regarding the ridiculous state of politics in my country.
Everything excess is bad
Ok so get this take the word satan and Minus the T in the countdown they say T minus and counting right!!! Hmmm yes minus the T from Satan and you are left with NASA with a Red Snake Tongue as dipicted in nasa logo, people they are telling us but you dumb sheap cant see it, now is your chance to be the dumb sheap but maybe live slightly longer and try not to die with your tongue hanging out the truth in plain site but you cant see it! Nasa is absolute fakery, bill nye from nasa said there is nowhere to go we live in an enclosed system, nowhere to go, obama said we cant get past low earth orbit??? WHY obama why cant we??? so that means we didnt go to the moon right! YES absolutely correct! he told us not me!. WHat did Hilary say she said we have not been able to break the glass dome above us but thanks to you it has 18 milion cracks in it???? WHAT hilary??? so there is a glass dome over our heads!!! ah ok that makes sense because it tells us that in the bible for once satan told us the truth and so did obama. Trump said one day you will wonder how we did it without space??? What so there is no space Mr Trump yip no SPACE im not say this people they are not my words see videos on youtube easy to find!!! Satan has to tell you there plan in PLAIN site then its up to you dumb sheap to figure it!!! and if you dont you end up a dead sheap with your tongue hanging out! as dipicted in St Peters cathederal hmmm they used your money to show you that you are all dumb dead sheap with your tongues hanging out! nice people right!! YIP but its actually true unless you WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!
Same thing in India. Philosophy of increased Adharma or imbalance. In fact, that's the very foundation of Dharmic civilization which is maintaining Dharm/Balance and its philosophies influenced the east. Obviously now it's very different and the western worldview has taken over. It's unsustainable in the long run and we will eventually see a paradigm shift.
"物极必反"
Compared to the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, this building is a huge success
Compared to the pizza place down the street this building is great succes
That's a low bar to hit
Anything compared to North Korea is a huge success. Seriously what's your point? 🤣🤣
@@josemerinohankammer7261 Cuba?
Relish the sarcasm
The title almost sounded like you meant failure from an engineering standpoint...And if I'm not mistaken all you wanted to say was that rent is too high
Rent being too high is the result of it's engineering. SO yes that's an engineering failure.
Ergzay Eh no. Engineering is engineering, not about rent. So unfortunately I think you mixed up money with engineering? I’m not sure
@@l123u6 being economical and efficient is an integral part of engineering
Feldan Tang In the sense of ethics of engineering, you are right.
@@l123u6 If you present a plan to your boss that causes the company to have more losses than gains you will be fired. Economics is the life blood of engineering. No material or money means no buildings.
To be fair the Empire State building was known as the "Empty State Building" for its first decade or two.
Due to the Great Depression. No economic crisis is setting back the Shanghai tower.
Yoan Mitov Surely 2008 had an affect? And looks like we’re going into one now, so....
Empire state building is EMPTY AGAIN due to coronavirus
@@opalyankaBG No it was empty because it was inconveniently located at the time. 34th street was not well connected public transportation-wise with midtown in the 30's.
Dinta Doba IKR were all gonna die.
I've been to Shanghai several times, and could see those skyscrapers from my hotel. Truly fascinating architecture to look at, though I didn't know about the problems when I was last in Shanghai. I just admired the architecture.
It seems like a common thread among mega projects, I hope the building is a success ultimately - the architectural concept is amazing. Did you know that this is the only skyscraper which is built inside another skyscraper? The inner skyscraper was built from the ground to the top, then the outer skyscraper was built from the top to the bottom and only has a floor about every ten floors. This gives the effect of the entire height of the building essentially having access to a street scape / park like outer space. At least that’s based on what I imagine having watched documentaries about the architectural philosophy and construction technique of this building. Regardless of it’s economic success, it is an amazing building that China should be proud of and I hope that ultimately it is an economically sustainable project as well.
That’s so fascinating wow I did not know that 😳😳
That's not going to happen. They want tenants to effectively pay double the rent. Rent 50,000sq ft but you can only use 25,000 of it. It just isn't a good business decision. Skyscrapers are built to efficiently use floor space and maximise its use. China wanted a monument more than they wanted a competitive skyscraper. You can a have an efficient skyscraper or a monument. This is one of the worlds best examples of what happens when you try and do both.
Its not even that amazing and all three of those buildings are surrounded by cut buildings, buildings with floors that almost have half the height of manhattan buildings, therefore making it seem like they are 60 stories tall and then these three massive spires jut out in the center. Thats what they want you to think, that there are three megatall towers in the center. The truth is neither three of them are as tall as they say, no one's ever questioned or been able to question them on width compared to other towers, height, and floor difference not to mention the front floor. Some buildings are more art in that they deceive, more than art in that they are spectacular. Take for example Dubai, notice the ridiculous glass tenants surrounding the insanely "tall" tower Burj Khalifa, and how they all look far shorter than Burj Khalifa. Now take Manhattan for example, notice how it has trouble showcasing its tallest towers. Probably because it isn't surrounded by towers with odd proportions like in dubai, and strange low condos across the water from it. The average height of most of Manhattans buildings is 35-40 stories, so expect that and taller to be surrounding The Empire State Building, vanderbilt, 432parkavenue, bank of america tower, hudson 50, and the super thin tall's on the 57th street billionaires row. There's competition everywhere around it...but in Dubai, I think there's desert-oasis condos-and vague glass floor towers that barely look 40-60 stories made to look incredibly tall when they are next to 1 story homes and those weird condos on the water fountain man made lake thing.
“Megatall” skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa are not completely habitable. In fact, the top 37% of the Burj is uninhabitable for structural and design reasons. Of the 63% that is usable, 20% of the residential space is empty along with 50% of the office space. These towers are icons more than anything.
So just empty rooms?
Where u getting ur info from? 50 percent empty office space?🤔🤔🤔
Ok so get this take the word satan and Minus the T in the countdown they say T minus and counting right!!! Hmmm yes minus the T from Satan and you are left with NASA with a Red Snake Tongue as dipicted in nasa logo, people they are telling us but you dumb sheap cant see it, now is your chance to be the dumb sheap but maybe live slightly longer and try not to die with your tongue hanging out the truth in plain site but you cant see it! Nasa is absolute fakery, bill nye from nasa said there is nowhere to go we live in an enclosed system, nowhere to go, obama said we cant get past low earth orbit??? WHY obama why cant we??? so that means we didnt go to the moon right! YES absolutely correct! he told us not me!. WHat did Hilary say she said we have not been able to break the glass dome above us but thanks to you it has 18 milion cracks in it???? WHAT hilary??? so there is a glass dome over our heads!!! ah ok that makes sense because it tells us that in the bible for once satan told us the truth and so did obama. Trump said one day you will wonder how we did it without space??? What so there is no space Mr Trump yip no SPACE im not say this people they are not my words see videos on youtube easy to find!!! Satan has to tell you there plan in PLAIN site then its up to you dumb sheap to figure it!!! and if you dont you end up a dead sheap with your tongue hanging out! as dipicted in St Peters cathederal hmmm they used your money to show you that you are all dumb dead sheap with your tongues hanging out! nice people right!! YIP but its actually true unless you WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!
@@WALKUREX Source: Trust me bro
Are you sure about that?
It’s just like when the Empire State Building opened, it was initially called the empty state building and remained unprofitable till the 1950s
I was going to post the exact same comment.
You forget that we were in a recession, and China is “supposedly” still in a boom.
Fanniumen Talking about when they were building this damn thing.. Obviously that is evident, but the recession isn’t natural.
The 1930s was the great depression and the 1940s was the second world war.. Not comparable to the situation in China at all
@Fanniumen naw, we are at the beginning of a depression bud.
As a citizen who lives less than 3 miles away from the tower, I have been in the building several times. The building is one of the emptiest and loudest in the district. I've been in one of the small scaled cafes in the building. I can't remember clearly but the cafe was on around the 100th floor. Every 3-4 minutes, an elevator would pass by the cafe causing an extremely loud noise lasting around 2 seconds. The noise would shake the building intensely, causing a small earthquake in the building.
That sounds scary
Why don't you make a video and record this noise. I am very curious to see and hear this effect.
scaryyyyy
I recall staying in the KPF tower while this thing was going up. It was the middle of the winter and crazy cold outside. I watched as welders spliced the steel sections for the composite columns at the building perimeter. Zero tempering of the steel while welding incredibly heavy sections under super cold conditions. Scary!
Chinas population is insane so there are many tall towers in China
I lived in Shanghai until recently. The key fact not mentioned here is that there are great concerns about its structural integrity. The ground that it is built on is in fact very soft and therefore is prone to leaning. Several of the buildings nearby have been proven to have tilted and the local government refused to allow tests to be taken to see the latest angle of lean. That scared away many of the businesses.
@@45545videos because...money.
@@45545videos 靠海的土地都不稳定，稳定的在内陆，但那里的经济不一定发达
测试倾斜很容易 随便一些基本的测量方法即可 而且无需大动干戈 别人也不知道你在测试什么
LIE.
It’s probably the best designed building in the world hahahahaha this is absolute nonsense
These supertall structures are not usually constructed for their economical sense. If people used economic logic to make decisions on buildings then the world would have very few skyscrapers. Most of these supertall towers are all about a sense of pride for the country and city.
Well I mean for every other country with skyscrapers they use them effectively and the tallest skyscraper in the world the one in Dubai is used very effectively, every single part of it is used. plus it is logical on an economic sense, people want more space and land is pretty expensive so one way to grow is to build up and ask any engineer or architect they will tell you the same thing that nothing is wrong with building skyscrapers once they are done right and have all the safety procedures, and yea they do also make the country look good. The reason why I'm talking about this is because I'm studying to become an architect and I'm on my last year.
@@dominicpersaud1155 Well, and I am a Quantity Surveyor and on my last year of MSc in Civil Engineering. So yeah I also know what I am talking about. Read up on the history of all the tallest buildings in the world, particularly the government-sponsored projects and you would realize they struggle with occupancy during their early years. The payback period for such a building is so long, at least 12 years and rents have to be kept sky-high to return the investment. However, after some years the rent might go down or the rent of the rest of the buildings might catch up with it.
kzhead.info/sun/gMywqr55j56ceas/bejne.html B1M is untrustworthy.
Monuments to capitalism.
@@clemalford9768 If they are government sponsored, then they are monuments to socialism.
I live in Shanghai for more than 5 years and I am amazed by the way this city works. Yes, maybe the Tower has failed economically but the city is safe, clean, rich, and vibrant. You can feel it in the air. And the fact that it has become like this in less than 30 years amazes me even more. Yeah, sure it has its flaws, for instance, the real estate prices are through the roof and I can't imagine how people here can afford the mortgage. But same happens in LA, London, Toronto, and other metropolitan areas around the world. This city is a great combination of old China and the modern 21st-century city. Can't recommend more to visit it when the borders are opened for tourists.
“You can feel it in the air”….sure you can (cough cough)🤦♂️ It’s crime-safe that I completely agree.
The dome in London next to the Thames was a failure after it was first built, now 20+ years later it is a great success. Having visited Shanghai once (World Expo 2010) and seeing the way the city was being developed I am sure there will come a time when this tower will reach its' potential.
I agree. Just give it time
The millennium dome was a vanity project, only when it was sold did it have to earn its keep.... China has built a few projects to impress the world, most are now costing the country dear,
@@alvexok5523 assuming it stays up that long, China has a pretty crappy reputation when it comes to things like buildings and bridges.
I suppose the whole “build it and they will come” isn’t the case 😂
Nope, in China it's "build it and stay tf away."
it is the case in cities people actually want to live in like New York, Paris, and Rio.
The actual quote is in the singular so maybe OK. "If you build it, he will come"
Not Sure I don’t think anybody wants to live in New York. It seems like more of a place you just end up.
Saddam Hussein No one should want to live in Paris either. Unfortunately, it’s hard to avoid NYC as a multinational company. Even if you’re business isn’t in the US.
I coincedentally explored Shanghai yesterday in Google Maps and was impressed by its insane scale
Rednalyx You should never explore Shanghai or any cities on Google Maps, they are outdated by 5-6 years. Use baidu maps or apple maps for China. You will notice how extensive it is now.
Rednalyx google maps is terrible in China.
Or just visit. I lived in Shanghai for 8 years. It’s my favourite City I lived in. Still miss it.
Google map doesnt work in China. Its not reliable.
Yup i got lost in shanghai because of the google map. All the hotel and tourist destination is not at the spot is supposed to be even the disneyland.
I worked in Shanghai from 2014 - 2015 and took many photos of this building, especially at night. I left Shanghai before it was completed, and never actually got across the river to have a close look at it. Kinda common to be worked into the ground over there... 😕
I went to the observation desk yesterday , incredible view
Locals nicknamed these three buildings, pagoda, bottle opener, and elephant trunk.
Ming Choy that's 100% true
Actually, it's called Injection Needle, Can Opener, and Egg beater. This came from a local tour guide.
@@snowman5202 you are right. am Shanghainese.
lmao
@Varoon ouch... I see what you did there.
Architect: This is my design. Engineer: but Architect: No but. Just build this.
HYPED UP .... you realize the twisting design was done by the engineers to reduce the need for structural steel by 25%? Engineers are not good designers. They’re good calculators.
Architect: Structural and financial analyses? We don't need no stinkin' analyses.
Taylor Lee architects are the Walmart version of engineers sorry but a 6 year old can come up with a random design but can't realistically build it without engineers.
Actually part of it was because of America's 2008 financial crisis. China put in a massive stimulus to build, and is wildly successful now with 90% occupancy rate. America got the world in trouble, China always ends up saving the world.
@@metrolights891 ironical since Corona came out of China. under what stone did u live the past 6 months??
Designed by an American architectural firm. The elevator system, consisting of 97 elevators, was also designed by an American firm.
The elevators were manufactured by a Japanese firm.
@@josephstalion7728 The system was designed by the American company Edgett Williams Consulting Group and Mitsubishi won the construction contract.
@@cgirl111 why didn't they hire a chinese architect? I thought china has many brilliant architects.
@@MrBug-cb9ut American or European skycrapers use chinese while chinese use Americans or Europeans. What is happening??
@@space0015 ha ha I think they dont have enought trust in their architects.
From top to bottom, trees several stories tall were intended to be part of the natural cooling system. They were to fill a lot of the empty spaces between offices sealed behind an interior layer of glass, & the exterior layer. It had never been tried on such a massive scale. The logistics of tending trees in a 100-story garden are enormous. A team of arborists and gardeners would have to remove a ton of green debris every day. A documentary made while it was under construction did not provide details of how the French architects had incorporated tree maintenance into the plans. Also, many people in that part of the world are not comfortable sitting or strolling under large trees. There is a belief that harmful bugs and other creatures can fall from the branches. It's still an ingenious idea, but may be years before we know how well it works. Now, I see why they haven't gotten that far. The Empire State Building also had low tenancy rates and lost money for several years after it first opened
I've actually visited the tower in late 2018 and i went on the observation deck. It is a magnificently beautiful building from up close and truly amazes me how it was built. Nice observation deck, 2 levels and 360 degrees of views. Shame about the low occupancy rate.
imzz doug Thats normal for almost all massive/large towers in most parts of the world. The worlds top 10 tallest towers all suffer from this.
Shame about the price more like lol fixing that will fix the occupancy
How long did it take for the Empire State Building to max out it's occupancy since opening for business?
@@ronmalvert2387 Empire State is another example of a, more or less, failed office tower. Empire State never became an important office building in the New York market in spite of its iconic status.
@@ronmalvert2387: It tooked 15 years for the Empire State building became important and fully occupancy. Before that, it was just an empty building.
"50% of the floor area is unusable" ...They didn't see that coming?
Of course they see it comin. They even have city for ghost. What do you expect the 50% unused for?
Aesthetics
@@boohoo7386 Occupancy 90%. Wildly successful, and China is first to open for business
@@boohoo7386 maybe one day they will fill some w/ the homeless
@@SadalDay Ritz Carlton at top floors starting at $1000/night. You wish you could live there but can't.
Some ideas are meant to STAY on a drawing-doodle pad.
Fuck you, it looks beautiful
I've been there and never would have known it "failed".. thanks for shining light on such under-reported topics!!
The Chinese government would like to give B1M a very special behind the scenes look at Shanghai Tower and would like to offer complementary one-way air travel. Pack lightly.
@@LudicrousTorpedo I dont think you get the joke
😂😂😂
Ur Mom Well the Chinese government has built a reputation for trying to silence anyone who speaks poorly of them.
Bruh the joke isn’t that hard to get why half y’all so dense
@@UncleHaul I am wondering the same thing... Maybe they are playing dumb so they don't get the free one-way ticket hahaha
"Sustainable" *50% of the floor area is unusable* (due to its dumb shape) Yea I'm not convinced. 'Sustainability' is thrown around too much these days...
I agree but then again I don't buy the 'unusable' statement either. 3:28 - how is that yellow portion 'unusable'? So odd.
The thing is, the tower is double glazing system, the round core(colored in the video) is office area(commercial use), and space between curving elevation and core is hanging interior garden which shows in 3:54 - 4:04, for social activity and interior environment adjustment (also mention later in the video), which means "50% of the floor area is unusable" is just bullshit. The problem of the tower is not the design, it's management issue , and it do happend in lots of Chinese city like Tianjin Binhai harbor district and Erdos. But this video is so misleading and I have to consider they are mean to do it.
@@philipcyx2690 Agreed, It seems like this guy is trying to say they gonna charge for that unusable space..And most importantly, you can not call an architecture "failed" until it's been shut down before its life runs out or actually fall like twin tower or etc.
I guess you can say that they are 50% sustainable...if you can only put people in 50% of the total apparent volume...
@@AnakinSkyobiliviator Oh come on, It's a LEED PLATINUM building, please check what's LEED first...
I can see these from my living room window, absolutely stunning at night. My favourite is the bottle opener though.
Well as a local Shanghainese I actually worked in this building for a while as an intern…I didn’t expect much from the building except for an office place, an observatory platform and a big statue…
Failure or not, I've been to the top and it's very impressive. The elevator goes 45 mph and you don't feel any sensation of movement, just a vague slight g-force. A few seconds later, you're on the 118th floor.
My car goes more than 40mph. Why would I go to Japan just to ride a slow elevator.
@@BarronVonSchnoot not a good comparison
@@Pheer777 not a good sense of humor
Always nice to get first hand infomation. Thanks for the in-put. It is a beautiful building. Las Vegas, NV June 29, 2021
@@BarronVonSchnoot Japan??? We are talking about Shanghai here, wake up!
It was built by a world for a world that doesn t really exist anymore.
Petar Mujovic They have a massive $12 T economy and still they a majority of ghost cities
DamnSamNoble I think it is huge cities China have built because of a huge population, but barely any people live in those cities.
Quote from Jeremy Clarkson lol
@@damnsamnoble7737 China has so far built 662 mega New York type cities, but 50 of those cities are still uninhabited
Marko Bravo ？？？？？WHAT? Have you ever been to Shanghai ...
Great to watch as someone currently living in Shanghai. It’s a huge tourist attraction and I always thought it made good money. My fave is definitely the pearl ❤️
Ahhh, the famous “bottle opener + beer can” tower duo of Shanghai
The darkess of the floors are directly proportional to their price.
vitobratta2 and usable floor space
Could you imagine carrying your weekly groceries up there everytime? Haha
@@Megadeth916 If you live up there you'll have servants to schlep the groceries.
And that not many people WORK AT NIGHT!
It’s because it’s always dark skies in Shanghai always polluted. I know because been living here for 16 yrs and counting
Seems like the tower was built for conspicuous vanity rather than economic sense. It's like how the Olympics often operates, or like the palaces of the past.
unifieddynasty that’s China in a nut shell
It's true for most skyscrapers in the world, not just in China.
@@alexmax8979 I lived in China, the dude's right. Guanxie, or "face", is everything there, even at the cost of efficiency and people's lives.
This is a superficial video - it will take years to fill the tower - hardly unusual
@@amblincork 50 Mao has been deposited into your wechat account
The three type of structure stand next to each other is awesome
Remake it into a apartment building! How many Smal scale apartments would fit in that enormous building?
Why would you want to live up there?
@@joelennon432 it’s cool and could be made pretty cheap
The J hotel has finally opened, they have around 20 floors, that has already improved the occupancy rate to around 70%
@@joelennon432 I have long thought it would be an amazing concept to build super tall skyscrapers made for ordinary people! I would love to live up there at a reasonable price💚
Looks like it has a great circular jogging path on every floor.
Lol imagine if all the floors connected like a giant slinky, it would be the greatest workout of a lifetime
That would be an ingenious idea!
Lol. Indeed.
@@tiffys Would also be amazing for accessibility! Give wheelchairs a way to avoid elevators when only going up a floor or two (or down any number of floors)
@@Xezlec lol, wheelchairs. I was thinking waterslide.
This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing Mega-talls, next to the Kingdom tower.
Burj Khalifa looks much better
Better than China's weird trend of trouser shaped skyscrapers for sure.
@@diatomsaus lol
@@diatomsaus Better than America's weird block buildings
Love your informative videos as an artist loving structures ….unbelievable and yet believable re: Shanghai Towers. SFO here
5:05 I stood at that tourist observation point in 2013. Didn't even know that tower was coming.
When you cry about having low occupancy but also demand top dollar for apartments built ONLY for the wealthiest of people.
The reason is always the money, right? Here, students can't find good apartments they can afford yet we build expensive houses when we finally build something...
In North America just few months ago, farmers poured milk down the drain because there is an oversupply due of closing of restaurants. Same reason, they need the price controlled instead of donating them or selling them any cheaper than the tolerance level. If they do donate the milk and the milk price fall, farmers will also eventually be the ones that need donations.
Sushi Jam I feel like you just had to mention America, why?
@@aeternavictrix7861 i said North America. I am living in Canada. Farmers poured 30million litres of milk down the drain to stabilize the price, was in the local news. Same thing in similar scale also happened in the US, I suspect.
@@fosphor8920 that's the worst. The university I went to they tore down the old buildings and built new luxury apartments on campus. Apartments that students can't afford.
Even though it's a failure at least we still get to look at it. It's fantastically designed
But, is it fantastically *built* ...
Yeah
@@SilvanaDil is There à reason it could be badly constructed ?
@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420 - Ask your parents, your doctor, your personal trainer...
@@SilvanaDil let me rephrase it ; why are you thinking those building are badly constructed ?
In Denmark we had a Cph. hospital which had an empty 10 floors for many years. But today it is used in full.
Is there any connection between the LEED concept and the mentioned reduction of usable floor space?
This is what you get when the outside looks is more important than the usage efficiency of the area inside.
Outside looks is the number 1 priority when it comes to skyscrapers. Tall buildings have to consider the wind load and how it can be canceled upto an extent so that the building doesn't falls. Look at the construction of burj. Even the start of the foundation was designed to further tackle wind loads.
@@indieshitzzz outside looks has nothing to do with wind load.
@@High_Altitude_Observer Then what according to you was the reason behind its shape. Was it for the mere looks?
@@High_Altitude_Observer go through this you'll understand much better. kzhead.info/sun/iK2SqsdpeH6eiZE/bejne.html
Typical democrats... focusing on ideology instead of functionality.
i still find it more impressive to look at than Burj Khalifa. the curves & height all without a ridiculous spire
Justa Rando And the viewing gallery is higher.
AGREED!
Yes! I find it much more appealing to look at rather than the Burj Khalifa, I guess its cause the Burj Khalifa has a kinda strange look to it.
From a purely aesthetical standpoint, I love the look and petal-style shape of the burj, as well as its almost space-elevator sky-stabbing style, which makes it feel more futuristic. But from an engineering perspective Shanghai Tower wipes the floor with it, near uniform width all the way up, and a clever spiral form rather than the steps and thinness of the burj make it a testament to what is possible. It was clearly designed as a building, not as a monument.
Burj khalifa has a 244m spire. One of the largest of any building...
Norway has a rule that dictates that residential projects must sell 50 or 60 % of it flats before construction start. There is a loophole, where the developers can split the construction up in several buildings and complete them in sequence. This act prevents a construction boom, (and crash), but maybe it fuels a housing price boom.
"No company should ever construct such a worldly expensive building."
Hey how are you doing? The building is much amazing ❣️
just imaging working on a building that high or just casually being on the top makes my heart race unreasonably.
I could never go to the top. Sadly, it must be spectacular, but I'm afraid 😬
Well think about this. If you fall and hit the ground, ur heart will no longer be racing. :] win-win Edit: you'll be on the ground and wont have a racing heartbeat. What's not to like about winning?
I’ve been to the top and I spent the entire time at the overpriced cafe because I was too scared to look out the windows
Yup! I’m afraid of heights,so just looking at it,makes my knees weak. I’d NEVER go to the top!!!
KZhead 'climbing Shanghai tower' two guys climbed a crane at the top 6 years ago! It'll have you sweating 😅
Tom Cruise sees tower : *Mission accepted*
😅
hhe already done it in his 3rd mission
janus lie lol
there is no toilet outside the building...
China always accomplishes what is impossible for America and rest of the world
Apparently no one involved in the development of this project thought about the prospect of abject failure once the tower was completed. Again the scale of the completed tower is magnificent but truly frightening at the same time.......
I like the tower next to it, it looks like a bottle opener but i like it's smooth lines and curves underneath the gap at the top, it's a lovely building
The last shot really shows the scale of the buildings in Shanghai. Awesome shot.
Finally, a non--April Fools video! Keep the good content up.
You're welcome - thanks for watching!
@@TheB1M shush you waffler
Ali g no u
I was wondering if this was a Fools video but I guess it wasn't.
The corona tower of Shanghai
It looks like a giant smokestack from a distance, during the daylight hrs. 👀
I used to follow it's construction since they first started digging the hole. I'm surprised it failed, even with the bizarre floor plan.
I lived in China for three years. One thing I noticed right away was how they would always build these elaborate designs to their tall buildings. Especially near the top. You would see these wild designs. I was told it was because they wanted to outdo the next buildings design. It was like who could outdo the other guy. I have to admit some of the designs were really cool looking. Even though they might become impractical. Like this tall one in this video.
This competition thing has been happening as long as there have been skyscrapers built. NYC was probably where it started in the 1920s, each new building trying to be taller than the previous one. I hate China but don't ding them on this one. They're playing the same game that everyone else does.
@@demef758 yes but a game that stopped being practical decades ago. It’s one thing in the past to race to be the tallest, or most opulent, but as this video pointed out, compromises in design were made to create this shape, leaving huge areas of useless floor plan.
@@affenket Liberals want more housing in large cities but also oppose construction of tall buildings. It's a no-win with these people.
@@SpywareEverywhere Go underground.
He's already living in his parent's basement.
The top structure looks like a roller coaster.. That would be a wild ride..
The top floor on this building is called Covid-19. Quite a wild ride indeed
That s the crane!
@Cristopher Reeves educate yourself Kevin
I was thinking that!
There is really a roller coaster inside of the TV Tower a couple hundred meters away😁
As a citizen in Shanghai, i’ve always went at night. there were a decent amount of shops but most were all closed. It’s a very good view at night . if u go to the top, you can take beautiful pictures of the big city.
what? u live in China
@@ninjapirate123 what's the issue?
@@R0DBS Because I thought YT was blocked in China so how did he have access to it
@@ninjapirate123You never know there is something called VPN
@@richardliu912 oh
It would be very interesting to explore a building like that.
As a Shanghainese, I actually like this video a lot. The tower is a beautiful structure that succeeds to be an icon for the city but fails economically. I believe it would be a painful lesson for the city and we need to face it and learn from it.
The same can be said about my private parts. ;)
@@th4fl4sh4 ok simp, go back to twitch to attract females
@Ashish yadav eating bats is not a widespread practice in China. The population of China is larger than north America and south America combined but you aren't generalizing us even though there are groups in people that also eat bats on these continents.
Ashish yadav Yeah switch to chicken feet.
@Ashish yadav please stop defecating on the road
Selling feature for the top floors: clean air.
well said ha ha ha
Pat Vav Wasn’t wind pressure intense at high altitude?
@@phoenix5054 It's much more preferable compared to the absolute shit that is normal air quality at ground level.
Direct sunlight!
Direct Clean Rain
I’ve been there for 5 times and today I’m still going there for cut of tea ☕️ haha
3:37 -- what a wonderful communal space! I'd be out there regularly!
The building itself is very impressive, just economically difficult to manage. But that seems to be the case for any mega tall skyscraper around the world.
Chinas population is insane so there are many tall towers in China
Yeah, it seems they are more of a result of d1ck-measuring contest.
I went up there in 2017 and although the views were quite impressive, I thought that the Shanghai World Financial Centre had much more character and was ac much more enjoyable experience ( partly due to being able to walk on the 100th floor and to also be able to eat at the 94th floor ).
Complaint. Your videos are so addicting, I can't sleep. PLEASE HELP I HAVENT SLEPT IN DAYS
5:06 That view is amazing.
I've been inside the building it's quite beautiful.
It's a marvel of engineering
If it is a monument, it is surely an amazing icon. But practicality is the key for commercial use, not how beautiful it is.
@@hairyputter5363 Dig the handle
I was by it's side - it is amazing, same as the rest of the neighborhood.
Now that working remotely from home has become accepted, cost-saving, and efficient there's no incentive for companies to pay huge leases for office space. Buildings like this will never be profitable in a post COVID-19 world.
Facts
It can be transformed to residential condos. The hotel for the upper floors easily can be condos or time shares.
@Straw office work is tho, and building like this are made for office purpose among othets of course
@@divo7778 Yeah go back to sleep serf
@@christinarichie6171 yep go back to sleep like all the people supposed to be "working" from home😅
I was there a few years ago. At the time, they were having issues with visitors peeing on the toilet seats, pooping in the urinals and using the drinking fountain as a bidet.
Same thing happened to many skyscrapers here in usa, even the empire state building took years to gain occupancy.
But it opened at the beginning of the great depression.
Tower office spaces are usually expensive, even here in Lagos, Nigeria. Only big companies or those with deep pockets can afford it.
Used to live in Shanghai, went to the observation deck grand opening it was a true masterpiece, sad to see it couldn’t be filled
Ok so it’s been a few years. Is the building profitable or at least filled yet?
Just looks like a chimney to me. Soft soil? I thought all soil was soft.
I couldn’t imagine working on a top floor of that tower.. my hands and feet are so sweaty from just watching this video
3:45 "half of the tower fails to light up"? Isn't the top half a hotel that is YET TO OPEN?
YES!
So It didn't fail then? They just wanted to make this video to claim it's failed, before the hotel opens up.?
@@value8035 yes, basically
i think the hotels are late? idk im confused too, but i think the bottom area of the tower was sorta dark
I red that the hotel (J Hotel) is finished and they’re opening soon. But they really should have mentioned it in the video.
It looks awesome in person. Elevator goes to the top in about 30 seconds
That would be averaging 45 to 50 mph.
There is a strong correlation with super-tall structures and real estate market tops.
5:39 This Drone footage is literally straight from the 23rd century, just, wow!
Rishit Shetty amazing ahh it looks like a future city
You need Buck Rogers flying around it.
Megacity one
Indeed epic view
the effect is coming from the haze of industrial pollution
Another problem is China's financial center shifting more and more to the Pearl River delta making the area in and around Shanghai less attractive for new businesses.
I don't understand the government's obsession with Shanghai and Beijing. Or anybody else's. PRDelta is clearly the place be in and around.
Katjerouac Music what obsession? They’re all important.
@@katjerouac "PRDelta is clearly the place be in and around." How come?
@@elise3455 close to Hong Kong and Macao, many international companies base there manufacturering in the region example: Apple
@@curtiswoodley1658 You have cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen where you have most of China's new tech startups and you can get to Hong Kong on train in 15 minutes. Just look at this link. www.visualcapitalist.com/pearl-river-delta-megacity-2020/
It looks like a factory chimney to me. A much larger one, though.
Awesome trio in such close proximity
The usable space issue is a major design flaw that cannot be physically altered, the only practical option is to charge lower rents.
It is still one of the most beautiful and elegant skyscrapers in the world. I think it would look amazing in New York.
Stephan put it somewhere in Chicago instead of that hideous aqua tower
Agreed!
i gotta disagree man, since every building mostly looks like a rectangle, there wouldnt be a shining spot for the tower, night would be worse as since, in the skyline thatll most likely be the most seeable thing, but it would be empty
It looks like a fat worm. Or an elephant trunk.
Hudson Yard, looks like Shanghai now, little Shanghai. NY is working hard to catch up!
Legend has it that the building was built for good Feng Shui (the twisting shape is part of it), which is an interesting story, whether true or not.
The Empire State building in NYC was not fully occupied for something like 20 years. But they did turn the light on to make it look good.